Veteran's Committee Selects Gordon

According to the Associated Press and ESPN.com, former Yankee Joe Gordon was elected into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee:

Former second baseman Joe Gordon has been elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

The late Gordon was a nine-time All-Star with the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians. He played on five World Series championship teams and retired in 1950.

Gordon was the only person elected Monday on a ballot of players who began their careers before 1943.

Here's Joe Gordon's lifetime stats, courtesy of Baseball-Almanac:

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	GS	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	SH	SF	HBP	GIDP	AVG	OBP	SLG
	1,566	5,707	914	1,530	264	52	253	6	975	759	-	702	41	-	29	159	.268	.357	.466

Commissioner 2010

Photographers wait impatiently , tv cameras rolling. There is a podium on a stage, microphones clutter the top of the podium. A glass of water rests next to a pile of neatly shuffled papers.

A young man approaches the podium and the light bulbs begin to flash with unstoppable ferocity.

The man at the podium has just been named baseball's next Commissioner.

He's only 25.

Ladies and gentleman of the press, thank you for coming out today. Over the next ten minutes, I will outline my goals and ideas that will change the course of baseball. Some of you will not like what I have to say, some of you will be confused at first. I'm not deterred by the prospect of being disliked by you or your colleagues, because I know deep down, I have the answers and the common sense that will change the game for the better.

As my first act as commissioner of Major League Baseball, I am removing the lifetime ban placed on Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose. Both will be eligible for their names to be placed on this year's Hall of Fame ballot. However, Mr. Jackson estate and Mr. Rose will not be allowed to profit off of their entry into the Hall, if they are so elected. Appearance fees and sales generated off Jackson/Rose Hall of Fame Materials will be donated to a charity of choice.

Second, as of tomorrow, I am removing any outstanding copyright claims held by MLB Advanced Media. It is time that our game embraces the world of viral video and Web 2.0. In efforts to reach younger audiences and audiences around the globe, we will allow for our videos to be distributed throughout the internet as long as the user does not stand to profit from the materials.

My next act, which is currently in progress, is to draft a letter to Congress, asking them to cease their decade long efforts to look into the steroid scandal that has plagued our game since the early 90's. In exchange for the diffusion of said committees, I am willing to break the American League and National League into two separate companies. This will remove the threat of Congress constantly waiving the anti-trust edict in baseball's face, and allow for the game to continue to grow.

This act will allow for the removal of inter-league play, which will then allow for the shortening of the season. 162 games is excessive, and was put in place to make the owner's richer. This move will be placed to safe guard the players, and extend their careers. As a recent study conducted by my office has concluded, by removing nineteen games from the schedule, season long injury rates will decrease by 40%.

While some may see the shortening of the season as a direct jab at the owners, we have decided to eliminate the luxury tax to compensate the owners for their potential loss in revenue. This will force teams to develop their farm systems, and force owners to put money back into their teams.

We are also developing ways to measure "Owner Reliability", or ways to track whether the owner is more interested in turning a profit, as opposed to turning out a winning team. This formula will flag owners and send "probation warnings" to owners who violate the "Owner Reliability Clause". Continued practices that violate this clause will conclude with the suspension of the owner, and a pre-selected group from the Commissioner's Office will run the team until the owner can either "repent" or be replaced.

Finally, in an effort to keep the game completely void of performance enhancing drugs, we will use the latest advances in blood testing to detect HGH, steroids, or any other banned PEDs. Players will have clauses inserted into their contracts stating that "the violation or failed drug test will result in a one year suspension from the game and a second failed test will result in a lifetime ban from the sport".

Thank you for your time. I regret to inform you that I will not be taking any questions, because as you may have noticed, I've got a lot of work to do.

Goose Calls Heard in Hall of Fame

The staff here at 108 Red Stitches would like to congratulate Goose Gossage on his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
We would also like to bitch slap everyone who still isn't in the "Don Mattingly for HoF Camp".
Goose finally gained entry into the Hall of Fame (his ninth attempt) and became only the fifth reliever to gain access to Cooperstown's hallowed halls. Goose received 86 per cent of the vote (one only needs 75 per cent to get elected).
Some speculate that Gossage's jump in votes may have been directly linked to the Performance Enhancing Cloud of Suspicion cast on the likes of Mark McGwire, David Justice, and (hehe) Chuck Knoblauch.
Jim Rice and Andre Dawson again fell short (72%/65%) but remain HoF eligible.
Goose's Career Stats:
Seasons: 22
Win/Loss Record: 124-107
Saves: 310
Strikeouts: 1502
ERA: 3.01

Gossage pitched for nine different franchises: White Sox, Yankees, Padres, Cubs, Giants, Rangers, Athletics, and the Mariners. He'll most likely go into the Hall wearing a Yankee cap.
ESPN's Rob Neyer writes that Goose deserves a shot at the hall.
MLB.com writer Thomas Harding covers Goose's reaction to a phone call from Jack O'Connell